The four nominees are-Hajia Saadat Modibo-Kawu from llorin South Local Government Area (LGA), Hajia johanah Kolo from Edu LGA, Hajia Arinola Fatima-Lawal from llorin East LGA and Hajia Aisha Ahman-Patigi from Patigi LGA of the state.

The Speaker said the screening of the nominees would be conducted later.

The Nigeria News Agency reports that AbdulRasaq has been operating without Commissioners since his assumption of office in May 2019. BEKl/AMM/ABI

Fighting overnight between the Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels in Yemen’s central province of Marib killed at least 11 fighters from both sides and wounded dozens others, a local government security official said Sunday.

The Yemeni government has controlled much of Marib since it recaptured the province from the Houthis in late 2015.

Yemen has been mired in civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized control of much of the country’s north and forced the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in early 2015 to support Hadi’s government.

The Yemeni five-year civil war has pushed more than 20 million to the brink of starvation.

Diack was in charge of the world athletics governing body during 1999-2015. He was under investigation since 2016, facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a heavy fine. Diack’s former legal advisor and former IAAF anti-doping chief will also appear on court.

The spokesman said the UN-backed government’s forces launched five airstrikes on the eastern-based army in Sirte that destroyed military vehicles of the eastern-based army.

Mohamed Gonono on Friday announced taking over all of western Libya after controlling Tarhuna city, the last stronghold of the rival eastern-based army in western Libya that is located some 90 km southeast of the capital Tripoli, following withdrawal of the rival eastern-based army.

Munther Al-Zawi, a military commander of the UN-backed government’s forces, said that Tarhuna was the biggest threat to the UN-backed government in western Libya, which the eastern-based used as a major hub for military operations.

“Currently, we are chasing the remnants of the militias of Haftar (commander of eastern-based army) fleeing southeast of Tripoli. We will not allow any of his forces to remain in western Libya. Now, things have changed and we will not allow threats from eastern Libya, where Haftar’s is based and launches attacks,” Al-Zawi told Xinhua.

“We do not have any problems with our people in the east, unlike the godfather of chaos Haftar, who caused the loss of thousands of Libyan lives in a losing war only because of his greed for power at any cost,” he added.

Libyan parliament member, Mustafa Abu-Shagour, confirmed that the UN-backed government had defeated an “international coalition” that supported the eastern-based army.

“The 14-month epic fight of Tripoli ended with victory of the defenders of the country over the international coalition that brought mercenaries from all over the world to support Haftar, who wanted to destroy Tripoli and destroy the hope of the Libyans for a state. The Libyan freemen presented convoys of martyrs to repel this brutal aggression on their capital,” Abu-Shagour said in a statement.

The eastern-based army launched a military campaign in April 2019, attempting to take over Tripoli from the UN-backed government.

The fighting killed and injured hundreds of civilians and forced more than 150,000 others to flee their homes.

Bagudu said: “We are at this prestigious and highly revered palace to offer our sincere heatfelt sympathy on behalf of the government and people of Kebbi State.”

He also acknowledged the role played by the Sultan in taking decisions to curtail the spread of the raging coronavirus apart from providing plausible solutions to the recurring security challenges in the country.

Mohammed, who is also the Director, Special Services, said that security operatives, the warring communities, as well as other relevant stakeholders, have similarly agreed on a permanent solution.

According to him, this require a visit to the site and the demarcation of the land by the State Office of the Surveyor-General with clear indications on what belongs to each community to forestall future reoccurrences.

The director commended the timely visit of the commissioner and assured her that the detailed MoU agreement would be forwarded to her office for record purposes, signed by all parties to the agreement.

El-Rufai said that it was only proper for the Ecological Fund to be domiciled with the Ministry, because the fund was meant to fight environmental issues like erosion, deforestation and desertification.

“Apart from that, the ministry has the knowledge, technicality and expertise as well as the national reach to better manage the fund and utilise it for the benefit of the entire country,’’ he said.

El-Rufai revealed that he headed a committee during the first term of the Buhari administration, which recommended the transfer of the Fund to the environment ministry.

According to him, the matter was further tabled before the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and a decision was taken on it, but the resolution has not been implemented.

The governor regretted that Kaduna State has lost a lot of its forest in the last few years before the coming of his administration, adding that the state is being re-forested again.

‘’In the last five years, we have been planting 1.5 million trees every year. Only about 50 per cent of the trees survive, but we have not given up.

“It is an investment that we are willing to make for our children and grandchildren,’’ he added.

El-Rufai promised the minister that the state will plant the seedlings and ensure that at least 90 per cent of it survive.

“We will match the number of what the minister donated to the state; in Kaduna state, when we promise to do something, we always deliver on our promise.

“We will invite you next year so that you will see what we have done; you will then know that your donation was not in vain,’’ he added.

Earlier, the minister said that his ministry had promised five million seedlings to Kaduna state in fulfilment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s pledge to plant 25 million trees across the country.

Abubakar said that the ministry decided to commemorate this year’s World Environment Day with the state because of Gov. El Rufai’s commitment to environmental issues and support to the ministry.

The minister promised that the balance of four million trees will be delivered to the state.

The Lebanese have been suffering from dire economic circumstances in the past few months due to successive failing policies adopted by previous governments which led to an accumulated public debt of over 89 billion United States dollars.